Michael Shellenberger: Conspiratorial Propaganda

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Apr 18, 2025

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INSIGHT

Western Europe Threatens Free Speech

Michael Schellenberger and Jordan Peterson heavily criticize Western Europe, portraying it as authoritarian and a threat to free speech.
They contrast this with America, which they claim leads the fight for free speech and freedom.

INSIGHT

Eastern Europe Praised, West Criticized

Jordan Peterson praises Hungary and Eastern Europe as models of traditional values and free speech, dismissing Western media critiques as biased.
He aligns with far-right populism, overshadowing concerns about democratic backsliding in Eastern Europe.

INSIGHT

Trump, Musk: Icons of Renewal

Schellenberger claims Trump and Elon Musk represent a renewed America rapidly moving forward and cracking down on deep state corruption.
He asserts USAID is part of a corrupt apparatus blocking transparency and was shut down by Trump.

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In this episode, Matt and Chris pour themselves a stiff drink and slip into the fever‑dream crossover of Jordan Peterson and Michael Shellenberger, a conversation that opens with the claim that Western Europe is now the single greatest threat to free speech; yes, croissants and GDPR apparently out‑authoritarian China and Russia. According to Shellenberger, we can now rest safe as free speech has been restored and “America Is Back!” thanks to God-Emperor Trump and the living avatar of honest utterance, Elon 'Horus' Musk.

Our hosts marvel as Shellenberger insists USAID is a rogue soft‑power leviathan that somehow staged January 6th, sabotaged the 2020 election, and deserves to be nuked from orbit... although he can’t quite prove any of that YET. Alongside the conspiratorial drivel there is also a heavy serving of Peterson's obscurantist mythicism and dinner‑party anthropology as he explains how Hungary is a model democracy, the US nation beset by parasites, and that this is all inevitably connected to how people are not paying enough attention to Jesus.

But that is not all! You will also learn about Manly Men vs. Gentlemen, Musk’s “move fast and break government” ethos, and the revelation that free speech is not a nice‑to‑have but a must‑have—unless you are a lawyer, journalist, or student on the wrong side of the Trump administration.

So buckle up for an hour of dystopian déjà vu, as two self‑styled rebel intellectuals morph into state propagandists, cheerleading every single action of Trump and Musk while lecturing the rest of us on free thought.

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